The smell alone is a bit vague; there are too many complex aromas, clearly from spices he’s not very familiar with, except for a few vaguely familiar scents mixed in.

Without much hesitation, since smelling doesn’t work, then let’s taste it!

As he put the piece of indistinguishable meat into his mouth, he cast his gaze towards the Sakura person beside him.

He was, of course, aware of the reputation of this foreign head chef who shared the same small city with him. In fact, it could be said that within the entire city, only the two of them had comparable status.

However, since the opening of the two restaurants, they had coexisted peacefully for many years without ever meeting each other, each managing their own restaurant.

He didn’t expect to suddenly be called into someone else’s kitchen by Chef Marchello to say they wanted to collaborate on developing a new dish.

What kind of situation is this!

While feeling puzzled, he was also somewhat confused about why Chef Marchello seemed to know this guy quite well.

When did they get to know each other?

Nagishiro Sho chewed a few bites expressionlessly and didn’t show any noticeable reaction, nodding slightly.

"Without considering the sauce or side dishes, just this piece of meat alone, it does taste good. For Western diners, it should be a novel flavor, and for Eastern diners, especially... they will find subtle differences within the familiarity."

"However, I think it’s difficult to create a suitable sauce to pair with this preparation; it seems to be better enjoyed with a flavorless staple food, like what we ate last time."

"Yes! Exactly, I noticed that too."

Marchello nodded in agreement: "I tried many sauces, at least more than twenty, and found that any addition would destroy this naturally harmonious flavor profile. Instead, it pairs very well with a staple like rice."

"But the problem is here; pairing it with white rice makes the dish seem uninnovative, purely imitative, which is something I don’t want to see."

Raphael listened silently to their conversation, growing more confused, his forehead full of question marks.

What kind of riddles are they talking in??

His tongue grazed, and the paste-like crust on the surface of the meat was easily scraped off.

The rich umami mixed with a special spiciness quietly blossomed on the tongue, and upon careful tasting, one could notice a distinct grainy texture, just like the surface seen moments ago.

This saltiness isn’t the same as salt; it’s more like the umami of soy sauce, but on this foundation, there’s an even more intense fermented aroma, likely using a similar process as soy sauce.

Wait a minute, soy sauce?

A flash of Lin Chen’s face crossed his mind like a bolt of lightning, and suddenly he understood.

"I know!"

"Isn’t the inspiration for this dish derived from Lin’s side?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Hmm?"

Both Marchello and Nagishiro Sho looked over, eyes full of confusion.

"Why do you ask that? You haven’t tasted this dish, have you?"

"Huh?" Raphael blinked, instantly perplexed by the question, "Why would I have tasted it?"

"Hasn’t Lin worked under you for several years? I even heard he often cooked staff meals, and yet you haven’t tasted them?"

"......"

Raphael seemed to realize there might be some misunderstanding, so he candidly explained Lin Chen’s usual work state to the two head chefs, who then came to realize.

"Oh right, I almost forgot the restaurant had its own recipe collection; it’s normal not to have the opportunity or time to make Great Xia cuisine."

It’s not that they were feigning ignorance; it’s mainly because in the days spent at Lin Chen’s side, seeing him composedly and calmly handling hundreds to thousands of diners, they subconsciously regarded him as a head chef on par with themselves.

How could they remember that not long ago, he was just a station chef working in the restaurant kitchen, with no contact with guests?

Thinking this way, Marchello grew increasingly excited.

"That kid is definitely a genius!"

"In just a few weeks, he already has the demeanor of a head chef. I remember when I started independently, I struggled to handle even ten diners simultaneously, taking months to adapt; this guy... he’s incredible!"

While speaking, Raphael had already bitten into the middle of the meat piece.

It wasn’t the pork or beef or chicken he imagined, but surprisingly delicate sea bass!

Due to the layer of reddish-brown paste on the outside completely covering the color of the meat, he had no idea it would be fish inside.

The bold flavors of the seasoning matched with the light and fresh sea bass, forming a perfect balance between the two tastes; the freshness of the seasoning and the seafood exist simultaneously without interfering, offering a taste he had never experienced before.

Most intriguingly, as the fish was crushed, while chewing it, he even faintly tasted a hint of rice aroma.

"The crumbly coating on the outside must be rice! I wasn’t wrong, was I?"

"It is indeed rice grains, and I didn’t deny it, did I?"

Ever since Marchello learned that Raphael had hardly eaten any dishes made by Lin Chen, he felt a certain inexplicable superiority.

The smile on his face seemed a bit irritating to Raphael.

"What I mean is not entirely correct, because this layer of powder is itself made by crushing raw rice grains and is mixed with other spices, and the fish itself has been marinated with special sauces."

"Also, the method used is different; it’s steamed, allowing excess steam to fully retain the fish’s juices, while enabling the surface rice powder to be cooked by the steam, resulting in this mushy texture."

After explaining the principle of steamed meat to Raphael, he was instantly filled with intense curiosity.

Western cuisine generally involves pan-frying, roasting, and stewing, and only after the advent of high-tech smart panel ovens was the Oriental steaming technique introduced.

Before these smart ovens existed, when it came to making rice dishes in restaurant kitchens, they typically used deep roasting pans, covered with foil, and put in the oven, creating a rice cooker-like effect.

Apart from that, steaming was almost non-existent.

If forced to say, it could be considered steaming when a baking product required a tray of water in the oven to increase humidity.

So when Marchello mentioned that the fish coated in rice paste was actually steamed, Raphael suddenly realized.

No wonder the fish retained its juices so completely, with almost no loss, melting on the tongue with a gentle touch.

He had, of course, eaten steamed fish before, but it was steamed salmon in a Chinese buffet restaurant.

A whole fish laid on a baking tray, steamed, with similar teriyaki sauce underneath, served for customers to pick their preferred size.

He had thought steamed fish would always be like the texture of steamed salmon, not as tender as pan-fried and lacking juice.

Only after tasting this piece with a rice coating did he realize that steamed fish could actually be tender to the point of melting in the mouth, with perfectly retained juices.

It’s not a problem with the cooking method, but with the technique!

This discovery sparked his great curiosity.

Exploring a new cooking method means creating countless new dishes, especially given the novel ingredients and seasonings Lin Chen previously showcased to him...

Suddenly, he seemed to understand why Chef Marchello brought him to the Sakura Chef’s restaurant to discuss the development of new dishes.

"No way!"

His face changed, suddenly remembering that last weekend seemed to be the wind festival hosted by the Radisson Hotel.

This event originally had nothing to do with him, so he hadn’t paid much attention.

Thinking about it now, such an important event would surely see Chef Marchello, as a restaurant investor, attending, and he would obviously take the opportunity to taste Lin Chen’s cuisine.

This dish might have been learned then.

And this Sakura Chef, on the surface, seemed to have no connection with Lin Chen or Chef Marchello.

If they did meet, it could only have been during the days of the event.

"So... Did I miss some very important opportunity?"

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.

Recently faced with many obstacles while developing new dishes, given that they all had gone to Dieppe to exchange culinary skills, it seemed reasonable for him, Lin Chen’s former chef, to visit.

"Is the intention behind Mr. Marchello making this dish to see if we have any improvement suggestions?"

Nagishiro Sho had kept an expressionless face, appearing somewhat serious, as maintaining authority was crucial in his own restaurant with so many employees around.

"My personal opinion is to abandon this dish or try using another type of meat."

"Great Xia is one of the world’s oldest countries, and its culinary culture has influenced the entire East, now remarkably refined."

"Trying to incorporate their cuisine into Western cooking is highly likely to fail. I personally believe the best approach is to only borrow cooking methods and seasonings, and methods of processing ingredients."

"When it comes to the preparation, it’s better not to lean towards their finished dishes; otherwise, the mindset cannot escape the inherent framework of the original dish."

"For instance, Raphael, as someone who hasn’t tasted the original dish, what do you think of the flavor of this steamed fish with rice coating?"

"Me?"

Raphael was startled, having been lost in thought, and he quickly gathered his mind to think carefully before answering.

"I think the technique is innovative, and the taste is unique. For someone who’s never tried it before, it should be a delightful surprise. The problem is that this method is indeed not easy to pair, only serving as a semi-finished product, unable to be served at the table."

"As expected."

With an unsurprised expression, Marchello spread his hands: "I’ve tried many methods but consistently fail to find a proper solution, which is why I thought of bringing the two of you together to see if you could come up with new ideas."

"Seems Great Xia’s dishes aren’t so easy to borrow; without care, they easily become imitations. If Great Xia diners had them, they might joke that Michelin chefs only know how to copy."